UPDATE 2018 -May-16 - This location of Aji Sai appears to have closed last year. There are others (which we still need to review!)
Aji Sai is similar to the recently reviewed Natural Sushi in
that is also a "hole-in-wall" place in Toronto on Yonge St. a similarly
short walk from Bloor St., so is equally transit-accessible being this
close to a major subway interchange. Aji Sai is north rather than south
of Bloor, and on the east instead of the west side of Yonge, 813 Yonge
in this case. Note that there is another Aji Sai we've reviewed on Queen
St. but it's unknown if they are connected (I would imagine so or there
would be a possible trademark issue.)
We went for a weekend
lunch and it was packed in the lower level (upper wasn't being seated.)
It's a little brighter than average inside. Soy sauce
is all low-sodium and fresh. Water is served by default but green
tea is available for the asking.
I wasn't much impressed at
the beginning: the miso's flavour was nice but it was too diluted to be
good, and although Mishy loved the salad dressing, I give it a "meh"
and the lettuce was wilting with brown edges. It got better with the
well-cooked chicken teriyaki which was excellent but Mishy again applied
her mysterious "rubbery" adjective which still eludes me. Dumplings and
cheese wontons were both excellent and this we could agree on.
Cucumber/avocado rolls were good, as was yam tempura. Spring rolls were
good, but then had this red sweet and sour sauce poured all over them
rather than having it on the side for diners whose palate or diabetes
might prefer a choice. Mishy didn't like the sweet and sour chicken,
finding it too greasy/oily, and although I enjoyed the flavour I tend to
agree. Spicy salmon sushi was hot and very tasty, but Mishy didn't like
it. Deep fried fishcakes were surprisingly excellent with a subtle
flavour and one of the best offerings here. Also enjoyed the
rock'n'shrimp; the sauce makes it. I didn't much enjoy the beef udon
soup; the beef was not quality and it one large piece so large it was
inedible. Dessert is the standard offering of green tea, red bean and
mango ice cream
.
If Aji Sai Queen St. is in fact under the same
ownership as its namesake on Yonge, it's news to me as they seemed quite
different in their offerings and styles: everything at the former was
top-notch and Mishy and I were in agreement. Here, we disagreed and I
left not having had as memorable an experience. Granted some items were
quite good, but I think some intervention is required to bring it up to
the same level as the other location. I'll give them the benefit of the
doubt and possibly a second visit to see if this was a one-off. The
price for weekend lunch was $12.99 which isn't bad at all and this
helps.
Rating: 7-7.5/10.
